Neonyt: Where retail, industry and politics come together to champion change
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Sustainability was the hot topic of Berlin Fashion Week. At Neonyt, the global hub for fashion, sustainability and innovation, representatives from the worlds of retail, industry and politics all came together to drive change in the fashion sector. With 170 exhibiting labels from 20 countries, from 2-4 July 2019 at Kraftwerk Berlin the trade show underlined its status as the world’s most important hotspot for progressive, sustainable fashion and technological innovations.
“Ten years after Neonyt’s predecessor Greenshowroom was initiated, the industry is on the verge of a breakthrough and change is within reach. Over the years, we have increased the awareness and acceptance of sustainable fashion in Berlin and, with Neonyt, turned it into a topic that is making Berlin Fashion Week stand out worldwide as a pioneering platform for sustainability,” said Olaf Schmidt, Vice President of Textiles & Textile Technologies at Messe Frankfurt.
And for the summer edition Neonyt was able to bring the most key players of the future-oriented fashion industry on board. Representatives from retail, industry and politics intensified the exchange and discussed solutions for more sustainability in the fashion world. “The momentum is there. If retailers and brands now start pulling together, it will be possible to bring sustainable fashion to the mass market,” explained Dr Daniel Terberger, Chairman of the Board at Katag AG. Axel Kressmann, owner of fashion store Modehaus Kressmann in Hildesheim, was also impressed by Neonyt and the participating labels: “In terms of the fashion statement they are making, sustainable brands have really evolved a lot. We will be integrating more sustainable collections into our range, some of which we have found here.”
Conventional retailers are opening up to the idea
With its exciting line-up, Neonyt also managed to address conventional retailers and make them enthusiastic about sustainable fashion. The Gerber department store from Stuttgart contributed with a showcase entitled “Econic Goods of Gerber”, thereby setting a clear signal for transparency and sustainability in retail. And with top talks and panels, numerous noteworthy speakers encouraged a dialogue on the topics of retail, digitalisation, denim and the conservation of resources.
170 international labels presented their new collections for SS 2020, impressively pointing the way to a sustainable fashion future. “Neonyt is at the forefront of the industry,” said Heiko Wunder, Managing Partner of Wunderwerk. “Change is happening. We are noticing a keen interest from the retailers. In particular, there were a lot of representatives from the conventional retail sector here, including several really big names, and we were able to attract some new fashion stores as customers.”
International organisations and politicians also provided the fashion industry with additional momentum at Neonyt. The United Nations Office for Partnerships was represented with the Conscious Fashion Campaign and presented the UN’s Agenda for Sustainable Development (Sustainable Development Goals). And Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) was also in attendance, choosing to launch its new Grüner Knopf (Green Button) sustainability standard at the event. Dr Gerd Müller, Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development, gained an overview of the on-trend labels during a tour of the show. “Neonyt has been leading the way for ten years now – and showing us that fair fashion can be chic too! Anyone who wants to buy socially and ecologically produced fashion will soon be able to look out for the Grüner Knopf. This is our way of making sustainable fashion visible for the consumers,” said Müller during the event.
Prelude to Neonyt: Cool looks with lots of denim at the Fashion Show
Blue, white and black denim were combined with leather, silk, patchwork and layering: the Neonyt Fashion Show during MBFW at E-Werk Berlin styled sustainable denim pieces as part of multi-brand looks – ranging from bohemian, western, motorcycle and skater to streetwear, elegant, folklore down to sport and tech. The editorial fashion show presented a best-of featuring around 80 national and international sustainable fashion labels. Claudia Hofmann’s styling also included references to the 70s and 90s. Presenting partners of the show were Dr. Hauschka, Lenzing and OEKO-TEX and the show was also supported by the European Regional Development Fund.
The next Neonyt will be taking place from 14-16 January 2020.
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Background information on Messe Frankfurt
Messe Frankfurt is the world’s largest trade fair, congress and event organiser with its own exhibition grounds. With more than 2,500 employees at 30 locations, the company generates annual sales of around €718 million. We have close ties with our industry sectors and serve our customers’ business interests efficiently within the framework of our Fairs & Events, Locations and Services business fields. One of the Group’s key USPs is its closely knit global sales network, which extends throughout the world. Our comprehensive range of services – both onsite and online – ensures that customers worldwide enjoy consistently high quality and flexibility when planning, organising and running their events. The wide range of services includes renting exhibition grounds, trade fair construction and marketing, personnel and food services. Headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, the company is owned by the City of Frankfurt (60 percent) and the State of Hesse (40 percent).